Transformation · lines 3 and 4
Immaturity becomes The Vessel of Nourishment
What this change means
Fire over wood, the image of a cauldron: the third and fourth lines move, and the cloudy start of 4 Immaturity becomes something that can cook slowly into nourishment. The fourth line leads. It warns that dreaming without acting brings failure and leaves you boxed in. The third line names another trap: bending to strong personalities who belittle you, losing yourself in someone else's shine. Between them, they ask you to act on your own behalf, with your own judgment.
The resulting hexagram, 50 The Vessel of Nourishment, describes change that happens naturally, step by step, the way a meal cooks. Keep your enthusiasm burning and be clear about the resources you have. Watch for two kinds of passivity, daydreaming and deference. Light your own fire, choose your ingredients, and let the change come at its pace.
What to read, in order
Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.
- Line 4 of 4 Immaturity
Dreaming without acting leads you to failure.
Ignorance hemmed in. Distress.
- Line 3 of 4 Immaturity
To get what you want, don't submit to strong personalities who belittle you.
Do not take this woman: at the sight of a man of gold, she is no longer her own. Nothing is favorable.
- The judgment of 4 Immaturity
Be aware that you don't yet have the maturity you need to reach what you're after in the area of your question. Act with humility: ask for guidance, seek advice and counsel, and put what you're told into practice.
Success. I do not go looking for the ignorant youth; the ignorant youth comes looking for me. The first time the oracle is asked, I answer. A second and a third asking is an offense, and an offense gets no answer. Constancy is favorable.
- The judgment of 50 The Vessel of Nourishment
It's a time of change and adjustment, and it will happen naturally, without great upheaval, the way food cooks. Keep the flame lit: it's the enthusiasm that gives you the strength to keep going. And be clear about the resources you have, the way a cook chooses the ingredients. The change will come about little by little.
Great good fortune. Success.
The trigrams
The way back
50 The Vessel of Nourishment → 4 Immaturitylines 3 and 4
Other transformations of Immaturity
- 27Nourishmentlines 1 and 2
- 26Great Achievementslines 1 and 3
- 52Abidinglines 2 and 3
- 38Oppositeslines 1 and 4
- 35Advancelines 2 and 4
- 61Inner Integritylines 1 and 5
- 20Observinglines 2 and 5
- 57Gentlenesslines 3 and 5
- 6Conflictlines 4 and 5
- 19Fleeting Successlines 1 and 6
- 2Passivitylines 2 and 6
- 46Going Uplines 3 and 6
- 40Clearing Obstacleslines 4 and 6
- 29Waterlines 5 and 6
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.